The Southern Coast
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Southern Coast - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Islas Ballestas
Nature Preserve/Wildlife RefugeSpectacular rocks pummeled by waves and wind into ballestas (arched bows) along the cliffs are what characterize this haven of jagged outcrops and rugged beaches, which serve as home to thousands of marine birds and sea lions. You're not allowed to walk onshore, but you wouldn't want to—the land is calf-deep in guano. Bring a hat, as tourists are moving targets for multitudes of guano-dropping seabirds. Also, be prepared for the smell—between the sea lions and the birds, the odor can be overpowering. A boat provides the best views of the abundant wildlife: sea lions laze on the rocks, surrounded by Humboldt penguins, pelicans, seals, boobies, cormorants, and even condors, which make celebrity appearances for the appreciative crowds in February and March. On route to the islands is Punta Pejerrey, the northernmost point of the isthmus and the best spot for viewing the enormous, cactus-shape Candelabra carved in the cliffs. It's variously said to be a religious symbol from the Chavín culture, a Masonic emblem left by the liberator José de San Martín, or a staff of the Inca creator-god Viracocha.
View Tours and ActivitiesParacas, Ica, Peru -
2. Nazca Lines
RuinsNo less astonishing than Machu Picchu or other Peruvian wonders, this UNESCO World Heritage Site was discovered (or rediscovered) in 1926 by Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejía Xesspe, who stumbled upon them on a walk amid the foothills. Almost invisible from ground level, the lines were made by removing the surface stones and piling them beside the lighter soil underneath. More than 300 geometrical and biomorphic figures, some measuring up to 300 meters (1,000 feet) across, are etched into the desert floor, including a hummingbird, a monkey, a spider, a pelican, a condor, a whale, and an "astronaut," so named because of his goldfish-bowl-shaped head. In 2020, a research team came across a faded feline outline on a hillside. The catlike geoglyph stretches for 37 meters (120 feet) and has been dated to between 200-100 BCE, meaning it's part of the Late Paracas period and older than any of the other geoglyphs found in the area. Theories abound as to the purpose of these symbols, from landing strip for aliens to astronomical rituals or travel markers. Since 2000, investigators have discovered hundreds of additional figures, leading many to speculate that science hasn't begun to fathom this most puzzling of Peru's ancient mysteries.
View Tours and ActivitiesPampas de San José, Nazca, Ica, Peru -
3. Reserva Nacional de Paracas
Nature Preserve/Wildlife RefugeIf a two-hour jaunt around the Islas Ballestas doesn't satisfy your thirst for guano, sea lions, and seabirds, then a land trip to this 280,000-hectare (700,000-plus-acre) park just might. The stunning coastal reserve, on a peninsula south of Pisco, teems with wildlife. Pelicans, condors, and red-and-white flamingos congregate and breed here; the latter are said to have inspired the red-and-white independence flag General San Martín designed when he liberated Peru. Onshore you can't miss the sound (or the smell) of the hundreds of sea lions, while on the water you might spot penguins, sea turtles, dolphins, manta rays, and even hammerhead sharks. Named for the blustering paracas (sandstorms) that buffet the west coast each winter, the Reserva Nacional de Paracas (Paracas National Reserve) is Peru's first park for marine conservation. Organized tours take you along the thin dirt tracks that crisscross the peninsula, passing by sheltered lagoons, rugged cliffs full of caves, and small fishing villages. This is prime walking territory, where you can stroll from the bay to the Julio Tello Museum, and on to the fishing village of Lagunilla 5 km (3 miles) farther across the neck of the peninsula. Adjacent to the museum are colonies of flamingos, best seen June through July (and absent January through March, when they fly to the sierra). Hike another 6 km (4 miles) to reach Mirador de Lobos (Sea-Lion Lookout) at Punta El Arquillo. Carved into the highest point in the cliffs above Paracas Bay, 14 km (9 miles) from the museum, is the Candelabra. Note that you must hire a guide to explore the land trails. Minibus tours of the entire park can be arranged through local hotels and travel agencies for about S/40 for four hours.
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4. Tambo Colorado
RuinsThe great Inca Pachacutec himself probably stayed at this, one of Peru's most underrated archaeological sites. The labyrinthine alleyways and trapezoidal plaza of this huge adobe settlement were devised as an outpost for soldiers and visiting dignitaries of the far-flung Andean empire, making it the most important Inca site on the Peruvian coast. Today, Tambo Colorado is incredibly well preserved, owing to its bone-dry setting. When you go, you'll feel some of the same grandeur found in the stones of the Sacred Valley around Cuzco. Tambo Colorado, or Pucahuasi ("red resting place") in Quechua, derives its name from the bright bands of imperial red, yellow, and white with which it was once blazoned. The site comprises several sections laid out around a large central plaza, and you can see the quarters where the great Inca received his guests. Notice that the plaza's distinctive trapezoid shape is reflected throughout the site—look for trapezoid windows and other openings—and thought to have been an earthquake-proofing measure, necessary in this extremely volatile region. Be sure to visit the museum on the premises, which houses many finds by the great archaeologist Julio C. Tello, the site's discoverer.
Via Libertadores, 40 km east of Pisco, Pisco, Ica, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: S/7.50 -
5. Bodega El Catador
Winery/Brewery/DistilleryA favorite stop on the tour circuit, this family-run bodega produces wines and some of the region's finest pisco. Tour guides are happy to show you a 300-year-old section of the distillery that's still in operation. If you're here in March, try to catch the annual Fiesta de Uva, when the year's festival queen tours the vineyard and gets her feet wet in the opening of the grape-pressing season. The excellent Taberna restaurant and bar is open for lunch after a hard morning's wine tasting. If you don't want to drive, take a colectivo taxi from near the Plaza de Armas (S/2).
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6. Bodega Lazo
Winery/Brewery/DistilleryOne of the more enjoyable alcohol-making operations to visit is owned by Elar Bolívar, who claims to be a direct descendent of the liberator Simón de Bolívar himself (some locals shrug their shoulders at this). Regardless, Elar's small, artisanal operation includes a creepy collection of shrunken heads (Dutch tourists, he says, who didn't pay their drink tab), ancient cash registers, fencing equipment, and copies of some of the paintings in Ica's regional museum. The question is, who really has the originals: Elar or the museum? As part of your visit, you can taste the bodega's recently made pisco, straight from the clay vessel. The pisco is so-so, but the atmosphere is priceless. Some organized tours include this bodega as part of their itinerary. It's not a safe walk from town, so take a cab if you come on your own.
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7. Bodegas Vista Alegre
Winery/Brewery/DistilleryA sunny brick archway welcomes you to this large, pleasant winery, which has been producing fine wines, pisco, and sangria since it was founded by the Picasso brothers in 1857. A former monastery and now the largest winery in the valley, it's a popular tour-bus stop, so come early to avoid the groups. Tours in English or Spanish take you through the vast pisco- and wine-making facilities at the industrial-sized production center before depositing you in the tasting room. It's not safe to walk here from downtown Ica, so if you don't have your own vehicle, take a taxi.
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8. Cahuachi Pyramids
RuinsWithin a walled, 3,400-square-meter (4,050-square-yard) courtyard west of the Nazca Lines is an ancient ceremonial and pilgrimage site. Six adobe pyramids, the highest of which is about 21 meters (69 feet), stand above a network of 40 mounds with rooms and connecting corridors. Grain and water silos are also visible inside, and several large cemeteries lie outside the walls. Used by the early Nazca culture, the site is estimated to have existed for about three or four centuries before being abandoned around AD 500. Cahuachi takes its name from the word qahuachi (meddlesome). La Estaquería, with its mummification pillars, is nearby. Tours from Nazca, 34 km (21 miles) to the east, visit both sites for around S/40 with a group and take three hours.
Nazca, Ica, Peru -
9. Casa-Museo Maria Reiche
Museum/GalleryTo see where a lifelong obsession with the Nazca Lines can lead you, head to the former home of the German anthropologist who devoted her existence to studying them. There's little explanatory material here among the pottery, textiles, mummies, and skeletons from the Paracas, Nazca, Wari, Chincha, and Inca cultures, so don't expect any grand archaeological revelations. What you'll see instead is the environment in which Maria Reiche lived and worked. A scale model of the lines is behind the house; her grave lies not far away. Take a bus from the Ormeño terminal to the Km 416 marker to reach the museum, which is 1 km (½ mile) from town.
Km 416, Panamericana Sur, San Pablo, Ica, Peru034-255–734Sight Details
Rate Includes: S/5 -
10. Cementerio de Chauchilla
CemeteryIn the midst of the pale, scorched desert, 30 km (19 miles) south of Nazca, lies this ancient cemetery, whose precincts are littered with sun-bleached skulls and shards of pottery. Huaqueros (grave robbers) have ransacked the site over the years, and, until a couple of years ago, the mummies unearthed by their looting sprouted from the earth in a jumble of bones and threadbare weavings. Now, however, they are housed neatly inside a dozen or so covered tombs. It's an eerie sight, since the mummies still have hair attached, as well as mottled, brown-rose skin stretched around empty eye sockets and gaping mouths with missing teeth. Some are wrapped in tattered burial sacks, though the jewelry and ceramics with which they were laid to rest are long gone. Tours from town take about three hours and cost around S/50. Visits to the cemetery are also packaged with Nazca Lines flights.
Carretera a Chauchilla, Nazca, Ica, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: S/8 -
11. Hacienda La Caravedo
Winery/Brewery/DistilleryDating from 1684, this is one of the oldest working distilleries in the Americas. For the past few years, the historic hacienda has been continually upgraded, now that it is the home of internationally famous brand Pisco Portón. Master distiller and pisco celebrity Johnny Schuler designed the new distillery so that it would move liquid only through the natural forces of gravity, which allows for small-batch distillation and control over every bottle. On the guided tours, you’ll see several traditional pisco-making methods on the estate, from the large wooden press to the gravity-fed channels. Then you’ll see the modern additions, such as the roof garden that was planted to offset the carbon dioxide emissions created during fermentation, as well as a water-treatment system to recycle water from distillation into a source of irrigation for the vineyards. Tours end with, of course, a tasting. With prior notice, they can set up lunch in the vineyard or Peruvian Paso horseback rides. Reservations are essential.
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12. Huarco
The ruins of this pre-Hispanic fort are minimal, but they conceal a tragic history. The Huarco were a tiny seaside kingdom that resisted the incursions of the Inca Empire in the 15th century. After the Inca surrounded them, they walled themselves up in this fort and threw themselves into the sea rather than surrender. All that remains are crumbling walls overlooking a precipitous cliff.
Cerro Azul, Lima, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
13. Iglesia de San Juan Bautista de Huaytará
Religious Building/Site/ShrineCatch your breath and drive up to this beautifully restored colonial church, built on the foundation of an Inca temple 2,800 meters (9,200 feet) above sea level.
Pisco, Ica, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
14. Iglesia San Francisco
Religious Building/Site/ShrineSoaring ceilings, ornate stained-glass windows, and the fact that it's the only one of Ica's colonial-era churches left standing after the 2007 earthquake make this the city's grandest religious building. Yet even this colossal monument didn't escape the quake unscathed. If you look on the floor toward the front of the church you can see the gouges left in the marble blocks by falling pieces of the church altar. It's said that the statues of the saints stood serenely throughout the quake and didn't move an inch.
Avs. Municipalidad y San Martín, Ica, Ica, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
15. La Estaquería
RuinsThese wooden pillars, 34 km (21 miles) west of Nazca, carved of huarango wood and placed on mud-brick platforms, were once thought to have been an astronomical observatory. More recent theories, however, lean toward their use in mummification rituals, perhaps to dry bodies of deceased tribal members. They are usually visited on a tour of Cahuachi.
Nazca, Ica, PeruSight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
16. Museo Antonini
Museum/GalleryFor an overview of the Nazca culture and the various archaeological sites in the region, this Italian-run museum is the best in town. The exhibits, made up of materials excavated from the surrounding digs, are heavy on scientific information and light on entertainment, although the display of Nazca trophy skulls will appeal to the morbid, and textiles fans will appreciate the display of painted fabrics from the ancient adobe city of Cahuachi. All the signage is in Spanish, so ask for the translation book at the front desk. Don't miss the still-functional Nazca aqueduct in the back garden.
Av. de la Cultura 600, Nazca, Ica, Peru056-265–421Sight Details
Rate Includes: S/15, S/20 with a camera -
17. Museo Científico Javier Cabrera
Museum/GalleryCurious to find the real meaning of the Nazca Lines? Head to this small building on the Plaza de Armas, which contains a collection of more than 11,000 intricately carved stones and boulders depicting varied pre-Columbian themes, ranging from ancient surgical techniques to dinosaurs. The charismatic and eccentric founder, Dr. Javier Cabrera, studied the stones for many years, and the staffers are more than happy to explain to you how they prove the existence of an advanced pre-Columbian society that created the Nazca Lines as a magnetic landing strip for their spacecraft (they even have the diagram to prove it!). It's a good idea to make a reservation before you go, as hours are irregular.
Cl. Bolívar 170, Ica, Ica, Peru056-227–676Sight Details
Rate Includes: S/35 with guided tour -
18. Museo Histórico Regional
Museum/GalleryIt may be a little out of the way, but don't let that stop you from visiting this compact museum with a vast and well-preserved collection on regional history—particularly from the Inca, Nazca, and Paracas cultures. Note the quipus, mysterious knotted, colored threads thought to have been used by the Incas to count commodities and quantities of food. Fans of the macabre will love the mummy display, where you can see everything from human mummies to a mummified bird. The squeamish can head out back to view a scale model of the Nazca Lines from an observation tower. You can also buy maps (S/1) and paintings of Nazca motifs (S/5). The museum is about 1½ km (1 mile) from the main square. It's not advisable to walk, so take the opportunity to jump into one of the distinctive three-wheeled mototaxis that will make the trip for around S/5.
Ayabaca 895, Ica, Ica, Peru056-234–383Sight Details
Rate Includes: S/11, plus S/4 camera fee, S/7 -
19. Taller de Artesanía Andrés Calle Flores
Museum/GalleryEveryone comes to town for the Nazca Lines, but a more contemporary spot that's also worth visiting is the studio of Tobi Flores. His father, Andrés Calle Flores, years ago discovered Nazca pottery remnants in local museums and started making new vase forms based on their pre-Columbian designs. Today, the younger Flores hosts a funny and informative talk in his ceramics workshop, and afterward you can purchase some beautiful pottery for reasonable prices. It's a quick walk across the bridge from downtown Nazca; at night, take a cab.
Pje. Torrico 240, off Av. San Carlos, Nazca, Ica, Peru056-522–319Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free -
20. Viña Tacama
Winery/Brewery/DistilleryAfter suffering earthquake damage in 2007, this 16th-century hacienda took the opportunity to overhaul its now very modern operation. Internationally renowned, it produces some of Peru's best labels, particularly the Blanco de Blancos and Don Manuel Tannat wines and the Demonio de los Andes line of piscos. Stroll through the rolling vineyards—still watered by the Achirana irrigation canal built by the Incas—before sampling the end result. The on-site restaurant is one of the best in Ica. The estate is about 11 km (7 miles) north of town.
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